Tears of a Mermaid
by Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto
Summary: It's supposed to be a rumor… but things happen when he finds out it's true! And he's not the only one to suffer! Tribute for MinaKushi, FugaMiko if you squint.
1. Part 1

**Disclaimer: **Kishi: I still own Naruto! And there's no SasuKishi shipping in my Shounen-ai! T-T

Rei: I understand your agony…

Naruto: How can a Yaoi bitch know that? You love making guys fuck each oth—

*Rei punches Naruto Sakura-style while Kishi sighs*

**Warnings: **Rei: This is Rated M! But there's no sex!

Naruto: Then this shouldn't be rated M. *recovers from the punch*

Rei: Well, I have mild erotica, swearing and some violence and gore. Your mouth is a well-enough proof for swearing!

Besides, you are born, Naruto. We all know they did it!

Naruto: Fuck you, Rei Haruno! Get laid tte ba yo!

…

**Summary: **It's supposed to be a rumor… but things happen when he finds out it's true! And he's not the only one to suffer! Tribute for MinaKushi, FugaMiko if you squint.

…

He sits atop the biggest rock in the rim of the beach, waiting for the girl with a tail to come and sing for him.

He stares at the dark starless sky and wishes for her immediate arrival.

He has his pencil and paper with him, trying to record her exact image with his drawing hand.

Minutes later, red threads rise from the dark waters and ripples start forming at the surface.

He smiles and stands up from his seat, witnessing yet another wonderful coming of the girl.

But something has gone amiss… she comes to the shore beneath him with something…

Something that used to move on its own…

He crouches and calls from the rock and she lifts her face… her angelic face tainted with madness and aggression.

She pulls herself up and her tail becomes legs… her milky complexion glows as if light itself.

He clutches his hands against the rock and watches her climb to reach him…

She arrives and sits beside him… her red hair eventually covering her bare skin.

He asks… "Is he…"

"Yes, he's dead… and who knows? You might be next."

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

**Rei Haruno –Sakura no Imooto**

**Part 1**

…

He jerks in his seat and looks around, latterly recognizing the van that they are riding towards a rumored resort.

Konoha West Beach is known for its rumor… about mermaids. Yes, the half-woman half-fish mythical creature.

And because of it, mysterious and scary people shroud the beaches but the rumor hasn't been proven.

It all started with a song and a single sighting of a big fish tail flipping at the waters…

It is too big for a fish… yet enough for an average-sized woman.

After that, the rumor flourished and latterly becomes known throughout the city.

And aside from that, KWB is also known for the breath-taking sceneries… which they are after.

He sighs and looks around, "Aren't we there yet?"

"Nope, Namikaze." The driver says as he peeks at the rearview mirror… showing him a picture of the sleeping students.

Everyone else but the two is asleep and to think about it, he just woke up…

"It's taking us too long…" He sighs and then the driver chuckles… "Joking. Wake everyone up, we're here."

He looks outside and sees the clear waters beyond the resort. He gapes his mouth open and then he yells, "GUYS, WE'RE HERE!"

Everyone growls as each wakes up from the slumber. The driver chuckles and horns, "Konoha West Beach! We have arrived!"

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Now that everything's set, the students of the Fine Arts are on their beach attire and will be enjoying the place for the first hours in Konoha West Beach.

They are here for a school project and everyone has to pass their own masterpiece… at the end of their four days and three nights stay.

Most of them decide to wait for sunset since it's just minutes away and some decides to wait for the next day…

Namikaze Minato, one of the students, is in his beach attire (white T-shirt and green board shorts) and is just walking around the beach… looking for a perfect spot to record.

His cerulean eyes are flinging around, trying to find a point of interest… but nothing has come in the first five minutes.

He then flings to his classmates, guys ogling at the bikini women and the girls… looking at him?

He flings back to his front and recalls the very peculiar dream… _'If I'm correct, that girl is a mermaid…'_

He reaches for his pocket and fishes for a piece of folded paper.

He gets it and opens it for him to see again… the sketch of the mermaid he did a while ago.

"Her hair is red and… she's beautiful…" He stares at the sketch longer… until a drop of blood drips at the paper's edge.

He then shoots his hands away… and latterly, the free hand rubs the blood off his nose, _'And to think she's naked.'_

He shakes his head and continues walking to the rocky shores near the boundaries of the beach… where there are a lot of people crowding.

He wonders and hides the paper back in his pocket and asks around, "What's going on?"

"They're setting up things to catch evidence regarding the mermaid." A man answers and he rakes his hand at his head, "And it's been three days since they started doing that."

"Three days? Wow." Minato admires the persistence and crosses his arms over his chest while trying to see something with all those heads, "They've got anything?"

"Nothing." The brunet smirks, "As if they will fall for that."

"Huh?" The blond wonders at the statement and the brunet squirms through the crowd. Minato scratches his head and follows suit.

He arrives at a closer distance and sees the brunet talking to a brown-haired glassed man who's setting up cameras with tree camouflages.

They seem to be arguing and after more time, the brunet walks away as the other continues working at those cameras.

Minato then notices the big rock far away and he looks at the setting sun… and it's time to draw.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

He reaches the top with all his drawing stuff and huffs in fatigue… it's hard to ascend such steep and high rock.

He sits at the edge and observes the beautiful scenery. He takes a picture first and he starts sketching right away…

Until his hand feels a different type of thread as he reaches for another pencil at the platform he's sitting at. He looks and picks up… a red thread caught in the nearly invisible crack of the rock.

He examines it and it reminds him of the mermaid. He puts the sketching things aside and looks down at the shore beneath the rock.

He decides to go down despite the difficulty… resulting to a hard stupid fall, making his butt sore.

He rubs his sorry ass and looks around the place some more… and something strange is in there.

He picks up some more red threads and some broken nails at the place.

"Hmmmm…" A woman's voice makes Minato shriek and fling to the waters… the horizon becomes darker… and he isn't supposed to stay there longer.

But he gulps and peers at the waters before him. He finds some more sand beneath the swallow water and decides to wade further… until he gets to a swimming depth.

He swims some more and looks back at the big rock… just to dive deeper… investigating the mermaid thing by himself.

He swims deeper… looking around the dark waters with his poor eyesight.

Then something big moves nearby and Minato stays alert on his spot. He then sees something swimming around… its dark hair-like body part brushing against his back sometimes.

He hurriedly gets ashore and grasps for breath, body still submerged in the water.

He pulls himself up… and then hands begin pulling him down. He struggles to get free but the hands are like aided by seaweeds.

He gets pulled down and he starts struggling to free himself. He grasps at the hands and weed-like things… only to find the owner of the hands…

A woman.

A naked woman…

His eyes widen and the woman smiles sweetly at him… her hands holding his shoulders and nears a little.

Her onyx eyes starts charming him and she starts swimming around him as she runs her hands and raven hair around his body.

The blond blushes but then he sees something different and worth panicking…

The woman…

Has a fish tail.

She's THE mermaid and he has to get away from her before she drags him down… and eats him alive.

He then swims away but the mermaid is way faster in swimming and she gets a hold on his waist and trying to just let him drown considering the distance of the surface.

Minato struggles to get her strong yet thin arms off of him… trying to get away from death.

His lungs begin to weaken… his mouth releases the air he clings to. Everything feels slow and painful… Minato suspends his arms as if reaching the surface…

His eyes begin to close…

He shouldn't have tried to investigate…

Eternal darkness conquers him… the mermaid pulling him into the depths of the ocean.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

He is lying at the lap of a woman… red thread-like fibers are covering his face but a delicate hand removes them, providing a sight to his eyes.

He breathes fast, his chest inflating-deflating rapidly from fatigue, grasping for air… and cold.

He feels like cold water has been left to dry out in his clothes and skin.

His breath seems to get normal but the heart's palpitation remains the same…

His eyes are slowly opening and the first thing he sees are tinges of red scattered around… cream, black and pink thrown into the picture as well.

The soft hand presses itself at his eye area and a peculiar voice resounds in his head…

"You're safe now. You don't have to be scared… Minato."

He closes his eyes and it seems like his lashes brush against the hand, producing a tickling feeling to the owner…

The other hand starts to stroke at his blonde locks as the first one gets placed above his chest, feeling the beat of his once weakened heart…

_When your dreams waver and when your sight goes blur_

She starts singing and he can't help it but to get lulled by her lullaby… deep into slumber…

_Look straight at the seas of blue and I'll be there for you_

_I will console a poor soul and I will sing to you_

_Listen to my voice and let me take you, too_

_When your dreams waver and when your sight… goes blur…_

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

"Oi, Namikaze?" The driver a while ago shakes Minato a little and he groans in respond.

Minato looks around and his cerulean eyes meet with a dozen looming ones he hardly recognizes.

"Gaaah!" He yelps as the looming heads suddenly earns his annoyance and surprise.

His classmates get back and one clasps her hands together, "I'm glad, Namikaze-kun is doing good! We thought you won't ever wake up!"

"We're just about to give you 'Snow White's medicine' when your fingers begin twitching." Another one says with rather a pouty expression.

Minato sits up and a hand holds his head, conquering the giddiness he's suffering from.

"Someone found you by the beach just this morning." The driver says and complains, "Where were you, you asshole? We thought you were taken by the mermaid!"

Minato twitches and recalls the events that dusk and the dream-like event where he has heard the song…

And the voice that has never left his mind…

"_You're safe now. You don't have to be scared… Minato."_

The gentlest and the kindest he has ever heard… and oddly, he feels like he has heard the voice somewhere…

"OI! PANTY-MONGER!" The driver claps his hands inches away from Minato's nose because he has pulled back and he gasps softly for that.

And the guy also earns the not-so-famous trust-me-I-can-kill-you Namikaze glare.

"Oh, you're already awake." He smirks and continues with what he has been saying, "Minato, they will be holding a meeting at the function later."

"I just wanted to rest." Minato sighs and then the first girl says, "Namikaze, it's already morning."

He twitches and stares at her with great disbelief and the driver makes the alarm clock kiss Minato's nose, the blond crossing his eyes to see the time…

8:00 AM…

'_Fuck, that's past breakfast…'_

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Stubborn with not going to the meeting about the mermaid sightings, Minato is walking around the shores again… expounding on the events that happened.

He has been so sure that the mermaid has pulled him down successfully and the fact that he is still alive puzzles the blond.

Did someone save him? Did someone get rid of the mermaid and save him? Yes, there is a guy that found him at the beach…

Is that the man who did? Or it's somebody else?

Or **something** else?

He seems to be overly deeply lost in thought… until two fingers poke against his forehead.

He twitches and sees a guy in a dark blue work shirt and dark pants, yet in slippers, before him… the one he talked to yesterday to be exact.

"_A somewhat good-looking man with short dark hair and dark eyes found you a while ago."_

He points at him but his hand is much lowered from his face, "Aren't you the…"

"The guy you talked to yesterday, the guy who found you and the one you're about to bump… yes, it is me." The guy speaks, recalling his fingers as Minato does.

"Uhh, sorry." He says and then the man continues gazing at the waters. Minato does the same and the guy starts, "They have recorded the mermaid's song last night."

Minato flings back to the man and he closes his eyes as he smirk, "But that's all that they've got. Nothing more…"

"You sound so against with what they are doing." Minato grins and looks at the clear beach… no surfers, swimmers, boats… nothing… just the plain beautiful waters.

"You don't even know what they are up to."

The blond's grin falls in an instant but he manages not to get pissed off, "What do they want to do anyway?"

"They want tears." Minato raises a brow and he looks at the man shortly before the stranger looks at him, "Tears from a mermaid… it'll cost more than a thousand pounds of pure gold."

Minato is dumbfounded… and then he asks, "Why don't they just give them some tears if they do exist?"

"Tch. What a big idiot." The guy sighs and Minato glares at him.

The guy answers, "Acquiring tears from a mermaid could mean both influential power and immortality. A single tear can defy science and death. What more if one has a mermaid for himself?"

The man grabs a little stone from the ground and throws it at the waters, "Tears are like elixirs. They only have their effect when they stay fresh. Exposure to anything else than air makes them disappear."

"So…" Minato looks back at the waters, "They need to capture a mermaid to effectively preserve tears, huh."

"Believe me, you wouldn't want him to get one." The brunet is about to walk away when something comes at Minato's sight.

Minato widens his eyes and then flinches as he sees something weird at the water. He points as if going hysterical, "L-Look!"

The two then see a moving dark portion rising from beneath the water and towards a direction.

The man then drags him to the side and they hide by a rock. The dark portion at the water passes them by and goes to a remarkable place…

The big rock where Minato sat last sunset…

"Let's go!" Minato abruptly stands up but the man pulls him down, enough for him to lose balance. He glares at the man looking around, "I can't afford to get seen by those cameras."

"Why?" The blond asks and the brunet says, "I can't let them see me… or them."

"Them?" Minato says and the brunet runs off to a direction. But Minato can't run off to where he is headed.

A feeling of something is watching him comes to him, chills get sent to his very spine…

He looks around and walks towards the shoreline and stares at the water… light getting eaten by darkness at its depth.

The familiar presence starts to conquer him… and he just decides to run back the resort house.

"That's right, Minato. Stay away…"

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

The second day passes by and Minato is in their room, finishing the supposed masterpiece.

His things are magically returned to his room and he can care less about it… nothing gone missing or whatsoever anyway.

His sketch of the mermaid has been destroyed by water that _time_ and he wants to draw another one…

But he can't clearly remember it unlike before.

Minato sighs and polishes the painting, the sunset painting from the view of the big rock.

It feels hollow and lifeless, dull and uninteresting…

To another person's perception, it can be beautiful. But to Minato… it is…

**Ugly**. Plain butt-ugly.

He can't help but to sigh at his own creation… one ugly creation.

But he decides to finish it anyway.

"My hands want the mermaid." He says… not the tears… the mermaid… the **red-haired** mermaid.

The beautiful red-haired mermaid and perhaps the owner of the voice that he yearns to hear once more.

Wants her to sing some more… loves to listen to some more…

Minato suspends his hands near the painting, the tip of the brush merely touching the canvass.

He thinks about the red-haired mermaid, the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

The mane, the curves, the elegance, the flawlessness, the complexion…

The face.

He lets his mouth gape as he daydreams of her… the driver slowly pushing a pencil inside his mouth.

He stirs and abruptly takes the pencil off as the driver stifles some laughter.

"Namikaze!" The driver taps his shoulder as the blond glares at the stupid, oh so stupid, brunet.

"You space out once in a while and it's not healthy, man!"

"Your ways are not healthy either, Inuzuka." He then starts to fix his things as if setting the painting aside for now.

Inuzuka looks at the painting as says with a serious voice, "Where's the elegance, man? You sure you feel alright?"

"I don't." He stands from his seat and leaves the room… knowing the guy will cover the painting later.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

'_Look straight at the seas of blue and I will be there for you.'_ That's what the song has said and that's exactly what Minato would want to test.

He is standing at the big rock that second sunset and he wants to see the mermaid.

Once again, it feels different and yet he stays still.

A certain voice makes him stir. "You're here again?" He looks to see the same man again and he asks, "You hang out in this place?"

"Favorite spot." He smirks and sits down near the edge and Minato follows suit. The man looks straight at the sea, "What makes you go here?"

"I'm just waiting for something." The blond answers and the two seem to enjoy the silence and tranquility of the place.

The sun starts setting and Minato stirs a little, "I don't feel comfortable…"

"Move 'cause I'm not going."

"Tch." Minato twists his lips and leans his arms behind him as support, "When is she going to show herself?"

"The mermaid?" The man smirks and Minato looks at him. He continues to speak as if considering him trustworthy, "They seldom show up when people keep their eyes at the beach."

"They?" Minato echoes and he says despite the question, "Just keep on waiting and they will show up."

"Are there… two mermaids?" Minato asks and the brunet hasn't bothered to answer. Minato just keeps his eyes on the waters and waits for the coming.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Minato is softly snoring as he lays down the rock platform and darkness has eaten everything in his sight.

The dim moon won't give any light and the starless night sky is not helping either.

The brunet is nowhere to be found and the blond is so much oblivious of this wrong picture.

Then something of milky complexion reaches for the edge, her fingers trying to feel if something could have been there other else than the blond man.

She successfully gets up and looks at Minato's tranquil face for a moment… only to place something beside him.

A head.

A head detached from the body and its veins are pumping blood out the part, blood pooling beneath it and closely to Minato's.

Minato sniffs as his sense of smell detects the pungent odor of blood near him… near enough for him to actually know it's blood.

He abruptly stands up and covers his mouth with a hand as he sees the head before him.

But no…

It's not the head of the brunet man he is with earlier. Someone else's…

He then sees the creature by the edge of the rock. Her hair is hanging shortly after covering her breasts and its raven color shines against the dull darkness of the night sky.

She smiles at Minato and shifts backwards to drop off the rock. Minato tries to follow her with his gaze but only a flip of her tail bids him farewell.

He frowns at the sea and then to the head…

'_What's… happening in here?'_

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Minato gets back and Inuzuka welcomes him as if worried to death, "Oh, man! Good you're still here!"

"W-What's wrong?" Minato asks and then everyone has told him about… the video the experts have that in which they have seen a woman in a dark blue shirt…

Dragging a headless body behind her at the shore earlier.

The brown-haired man with glasses then announces, "This is something unusual! But we cannot say she is the mermaid we have been looking for!"

"Why don't we catch her?" One suggests and lots have agreed. The students somehow say 'yes' but Minato can't decide for now.

"Man, we have to hunt that mermaid down!" Inuzuka shakes Minato, excitement in his tone, "We're going to be rich if we lay our hands on that FIRST!"

"Don't be silly, Inuzuka." Minato answers, knowing that the man with glasses is the one who will benefit the most.

"Well, at least, we get to see the mermaid!" Another classmate says and a girl sighs, "Tou just wanted to see a naked woman."

"Shut up, suckers." The man retorts and Minato looks at the man with glasses… wondering where the brunet yesterday could be.

He flings around, not seeing a familiar brunet amongst the crowd. He scratches his head and sighs…

"Let the mermaid hunt begin…"

…

**End of Part 1**

…

I just decided to cut the supposed to be one-shot…

Yeah review for suggestions and other comments…

Thank you for reading…


	2. Part 2

**Disclaimer: **Minato: I see you had cut it already—

Rei: Kyaaaaaa! *heart eyes* Minato-sama! *love love love*

Kushina: Hey! Minato, where've you been? I can't find Naruto and Sasuke-kun…

Minato: Masashi-san asked me to read this out loud… *girls stand by beside him*

"**To Rei Haruno's dear readers, Naruto is still mine and will remain in my ownership.**

**However… feel free doing and reading more and more of fanfictions!"**

**Warnings**: Kushina: You have been warned before… don't make me repeat it.

Rei: Ooooohhhh, scary~

Minato: Come now… why is there tension anyway?

Kushina: *points at Rei* She kidnapped our son! And his bboff—best friend!

Rei: Just go on with the story, Kushina-chan…

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

The clock has ticked 9:00 PM and some of the customers of the resort are out hunting the mermaid.

Minato is at his room, painting the dark-haired mermaid that he has seen earlier that day.

Her unaffected smile, her intimidating gaze, her milky complexion and her long nails… and a feature that he hasn't recorded earlier…

The peculiar blue pearl necklace she is wearing.

'_A mermaid has accessories? That's quite fascinating…'_ Minato finishes the painting in no time since he is greatly concentrating and the picture is imprinted well in his head.

He sighs and looks outside the window…

Stray beams of flashlights are roaming around as if a search and rescue operation has begun.

He sighs and looks at his painting. _'It would be a bit off if I can get to paint the mermaid without even seeing her. I think I should at least go out there.'_

With that, Minato covers the painting carefully as the paint dries on its own.

He takes a flashlight from the emergency box at each room and walks out to the beach.

To be honest, someone must have seen that head he run away from… and discovered that the big rock is a good place for investigation.

He stops at the shore near the big rock to see what's up ahead.

His deductions are correct and the man with glasses and some assistants are setting something at the big rock and Minato watches them prep up for an exploration.

The man with glasses looks at him and asks despite the distance, "Can I help you with something, young man?"

"Nothing really." Minato answers and gazes at the waters… the moon is starting to shine an oddly-bright light.

He gazes back at the now uncaring individuals at the favorite spot… and he has to walk off to somewhere else. He reaches the other boundary and the sea seems much lonelier there.

The chilly wind seems to whisper voices and creepy noises as he listens closely.

He remains standing and decides to clutch his jacket closer, the chilly winds breathing a peculiarly strange freezing wind.

A faint presence stands behind him and he has a feeling of hesitance as to facing the person behind him.

But he does anyway.

His eyes widen as he see a naked brunette with only a unbuttoned dark blue work shirt and blue pearl necklace standing behind him.

Yes, the mermaid herself.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

**Rei Haruno —Sakura no Imooto**

**Part 2**

…

But unlike the last encounters, she is glaring at him. Her fists are clutched tighter every second at her sides as the chilly winds gently blow on her raven mane and dark shirt.

Her nudity doesn't make him stare… it's the fear he feels as he gazes straight at those angry onyx orbs.

Cold sweat starts to roll down his forehead and his throat is dying to gulp down the fear.

His eyes blink to distract himself from the silent torture but the woman won't budge.

Minato then starts talking, "You… you shouldn't be showing yourself… when everyone's trying to… get you."

"Fear not, mortal. I am here to claim an exchange."

Her voice, emotionless and deprived of hesitation and a drop of glee.

The sound of vengeance resounds in his head and it seems that the lady is not there just for her own entertainment.

He frowns at her and she walks to him… realizing this makes him back off at every step she makes.

Grave fear starts to build up within him and there's no way to stifle it.

"Confess, mortal. You knew of his fate." She starts to threaten and Minato starts to be thrown into confusion.

'_Whose fate?'_ "I don't know what you're talking about." He answers and the mermaid takes it as a confession.

She is about to whip Minato with her weeds when a light suddenly shines behind her.

She turns a bit and the owner of the light yells, "I FOUND THE MERMAID!"

Then loud chatters echo around and the mermaid gets bewildered by such malice within the humans.

Her tears. She knows it very well that they all wanted her tears… but the blond man before her.

She then flings to him and stares at him… only to dash the sea behind him. She jumps off to the waters and her legs transform into a fish tail.

It makes a flip and the mermaid goes deeper, disappearing from the eyes of the newcomers who haven't got a glimpse of her at all.

The man who found her points to the sea, "She went back to the sea! We can still catch up to her!"

"Are you sure she's the mermaid?" Someone asks and then the man lights at Minato who shades his arms before his eyes to prevent momentary blindness.

"You were taking with her a while ago, right? What did she say? Can she even speak?"

Minato hesitates to answer as everyone's eyes shifts at him. Their eyes of doubt and suspicion make him gulp.

He looks at his classmates and they are giving off the same gaze… then the man with glasses speaks, "Have you been meeting with the mermaid, young man?"

He steps closer, "Do you have a drop of her tears? Do you?"

"I… I don't…" Minato says but everyone regards it as a lie. Someone who has been meeting with the mermaid doesn't have a single drop of her tears?

Ridiculous.

Plain ridiculous.

Inuzuka says in a strange tone, "Namikaze, come on, man. I know you're not serious."

Minato twitches and then he makes an outburst, "Why don't you believe me? I don't have her tears! She said she will be—"

A weed whip shoots out from the water and wraps around Minato's mouth and neck. He gets pulled offshore and deep into the sea.

The people grow wild and they start diving… chasing after the mermaid that pulled Minato.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

_When your dreams waver and when your sight goes blur_

_Look straight at the seas of blue and I'll be there for you_

_I will console a poor soul and I will sing to you_

_Listen to my voice and let me take you, too_

_When your dreams waver and when your sight… goes blur…_

_Remember those days that you don't have a clue_

_Of everything that happens that seems to concern you_

_Try to get closer, scoot to my side_

_Let my lap be your pillow and my voice your guide_

_I will take you with me in my heaven and there you shall be free_

_So remember those days when all you need is me…_

_So rest and let the days be done, care not of what happens next_

_As long as you stay by me… you can be free…_

Minato opens his eyes, recognizing the voice that he yearns to hear…

He sees the red mane from where those red threads must have been woven from… and he sees a breath-taking beauty that he has been looking for all his life.

That smooth milky complexion comparable to the mermaid's, the red hair that covers her breasts and tickles the blond's face, and the magnificent voice that has taken his heart away…

The red-haired maiden is right there. His red-haired mermaid…

She then looks down at her lap, seeing the cerulean orbs that seem to fascinate her as much her hazel ones fascinate him.

Minato then remembers about the pursuers… and the dark-haired mermaid. He abruptly sits up to a formal sitting position and grasps at the woman's shoulders, "You should hide. They're going to—"

"You don't have to worry, Minato. She said she'll handle them." She smiles and Minato blinks in disbelief.

The heavenly creature smiles at him and her eyes do not carry an intimidating gaze but something warm and friendly.

And she knows his name.

Minato twitches and is about to ask and when she shakes her head, "Uhm-hm. We know what humans desire the most just by merely looking at them."

Minato blushes and looks away, "…I see." Her hands then cups at his cheeks and she makes him look back at her as she smiles.

"Don't look away. I like gazing at your eyes…"

Minato blushes madly and his hand finds its way to hers and she smiles some more. She then kneels before him and nears her face to his, her nose touches his and her breath kisses Minato's lips.

Her eyes are locked at looking at his orbs and his body seems to respond to such distance and gaze.

Her hands slides down from his face to his shoulders and she presses herself against the blond more, her breasts piercing against his vulnerable chest.

His heart starts to beat faster and her lips curls higher and higher, as if liking how he responds.

One hand slips down his chest to his lap, the tempting warmth radiates from her hand to his thigh.

His blood starts rushing… so fast that a tent is already forming.

She pushes him backwards and his arms shoot out to support himself. His leg that she isn't touching extends at her side and bents itself somehow.

The other one follows as she raises her hand back to his face, putting her knees between his legs.

He starts to huff and sweat… the tent getting higher as she slides her nose to his cheek, her lips brushing against his.

A naughty hand then finds its way to the tip of the tent and Minato twitches at the sudden _unwanted_ contact.

"You're quite easy to arouse… unlike the other guy." She chuckles and Minato looks at her with his eyes alone, "Other guy? There's another guy?"

"Uhh… but he's no longer around. He is like you. Both of you never wanted the tears." She answers as she shifts to face his neck and start nibbling.

Things with Minato and the other guy are different but both of them have something a mermaid would like.

Avarice and hunger for power… never existed in their heads.

Minato moans softly as her teeth brush against his neck and her tongue licks the sensitive skin, "Minato, give me a name." She huffs for a while.

"D-don't you have a name?" Minato then bits his lip to stifle further moaning. She agrees with a hum and the male says, "Do you want a name of a deity?"

"Uh-huh. Anything. Just give me a name." She continues licking his neck and the male whispers, "She's the wife of the Shinto deity of thunders and storms. She's a very beautiful maiden. Her name is Kushinada."

"Can we cut the 'da' off? I think that would be quite too long." She then nibbles at his ear and whispers flirtatiously, "Kushina is a beautiful name. Thank you…"

With her finger at the tent, she makes its sole foundation move side to side, pleasing the male as he tries to control himself. "At least, you didn't name me with 'beautiful' or any other adjective."

She nibbles at his ear some more, "And to think about it, our names are connected to deities."

Minato seems to not give attention anymore by then… concentrating on stifling his erection.

Both of her hands then clutch at his shoulders as she then sucks at his neck, more pleasure creeping to Minato's sensation.

She keeps on sucking and sucking, the male oblivious of the consequence.

Then a flashlight loudly hits against a rock nearby, taking the two's attention.

The mermaid looks at the girl that is staring at them with grave fear in her eyes, her lips trembling while trying to call the male, "Na-Nami-Namikaze…"

Minato turns to his classmate but then a sudden surge of pain strikes his neck. He then abruptly falls to the side and clasps his hands at the pained part.

He feels a sticky liquid and the open flashlight gives his eyes enough light to tell… **blood** from saliva.

He then gazes at the Kushina's face… her soft lips fail to hide the toothy well of a mermaid's mouth.

His blood is covering her lips and chin… her hazel eyes now glaring at the girl.

Minato continues to squirm in pain and Kushina stands up from her kneeling position. The girl runs off but Kushina uses her whip to take the girl to her arms.

The girl pleads as she stretches her arm to him, "Namikaze!"

But Minato can't move in pain and it's quite too late to speak out. The mermaid hops to the sea taking the girl down with her. Her tail flips and they are lost in sight.

Minato manages to sit up, his hand heavily pressing against the wound. He takes the flashlight and beams at the dark water, "K-Arghh… KU… Fuck… Kushina!"

Blood oozes from the wound and Minato crashes at the shore, groaning in pain.

He raises his head and sees no Kushina at the water to come back to him. He yells once more and this time, blood drips from his mouth as well, "Ku… Kushina!"

"Namikaze!" Inuzuka's voice makes the pale and weak Minato fling at him to see his some of the classmates and other customers.

He coughs out some blood and says, "She got Morimoto… and me." He falls to the side and the last word he heard is, "NAMIKAZE!"

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Light kisses Minato's eyes and it is the fluorescent lamp overhead.

He seems to be lying at the couch and he can feel mild suffocation from the tight bandages at his neck. He runs his hands over it and hisses as he triggers pain again.

"Never touch a recovering wound." It is the man with glasses and Minato asks, "What time is it?"

"Seven in the evening." He says and then Minato struggles to sit up. There are also some more spectators around the place and Minato asks, "Have you found Morimoto?"

"Wide opened and most of her flesh is taken." Inuzuka answers and Minato can't help but to look away.

"These killings will be stopped if you help us catch her." The man with glasses puts his hands on Minato's shoulder, "You are the only one who has seen her that isn't dead yet."

Minato looks at him… and then he hangs his head…

**...**

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

"Here." Minato has presented them his painting, the dark mane mermaid, "That's what the mermaid looks like plus the work shirt that she's not wearing when I first saw her."

'_Where'd she get that anyway?'_

"How beautiful." The man says and he raises the canvass from the stand, "Truly beautiful." But then he frown at something, "That pearl necklace… does she really wear such accessory?"

Minato nods and re-points out, "As I have said, the work shirt is the only thing that is new. And everything is real. I didn't add up anything."

"My son has a pearl necklace like this. It was a memento from his mother." The man says and Minato asks, "That… uhm, guy in a—" _'Fuck, wait…'_

Recalling back the attire of the brunet… he does wear a dark blue work shirt. Minato places his knuckle against his chin. Claim an exchange, his fate, the pearl necklace and the dark blue work shirt…

Vengeance.

Everything must mean something… why would the mermaid go after people who know of his fate?

And to think about it, the brunet hasn't show up…

Another guy? Gone? Them?

Minato looks at the man with glasses as he awaits for his addendum…

A father who is obsessed with mermaids, the greed for the tears…

"Where is your son, anyway, mister?" Minato says and the father looks away and fixes his glasses, "You need not to find him. He's just a big burden anyway."

Fate? Gone? Disposal. The answer is found…

Minato then excuses himself, "Sorry, I have to go to the toilet." He squirms through the crowd and then he runs off to the beach.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

He holds against his wound and yells, "Kushina! I need to talk to you! Kushina!"

He is standing atop the big rock and he impatiently waits for the arrival of the red head mermaid that caused him that wound.

He huffs and sits down… and then lies at his back. Giddiness has once again conquered him.

His weak eyes start to close and his lips mumble a name, "Kushina…"

"You're getting very accustomed to calling me by that name." A voice speaks, "More used to than I am."

Minato smiles but his eyes are still closed and then he feels his bandages getting unwrapped.

He opens his eyes and sees Kushina un-wrap the bandages. She takes them all off and she licks his wound. He hisses in pain and then she runs the back of her hands at his cheek.

"I'm so sorry…" She caresses his face and a tear rolls down her face. Minato stares at it… the shining liquefied crystal at her cheek.

She jerks a little but a smile remains, "Oops, I'm not supposed to cry. Believe me I didn't mean to bite you."

She takes the tears with her finger and let it drop at Minato's wound. The blond feels a little hurt but the pain of exposed inner skin seems to vanish.

He wonders and touches the wound… which is not there anymore. He feels as if it is never there to begin with.

He sits up as Kushina pulls back and sit beside him. He looks at Kushina and recalls some words…

"_Acquiring tears from a mermaid could mean both influential power and immortality. A single tear can defy science and death. Tears are like elixirs."_

Kushina runs her hands at her hair covering her breasts to get rid of some tangles, "You seem to be fascinated by the tears' power…"

"My wound disappeared. Now I know what that guy is talking about…" Minato absently says and Kushina twitches, "You know that man?"

"He's the other guy that you are meeting with, isn't he?"

"Miko-chan has always yearned for that guy. Now that he's gone… she's—" Kushina then twitches and suddenly jumps off the rock.

"Wait! Why did you…" Minato grasps at the edge seeing nothing else but ripples on the water.

"OI! Namikaze!" Inuzuka yells from afar and Minato hurriedly wraps the bandages back around his neck. The guy calls from beneath, "Oi, Namikaze! Dr. Uchiha is calling us for another raid!"

"Yeah, sure." Minato secures the bandage and looks around… only to pick up a hair strand… "Kushina…"

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

It is already morning and there are some people who haven't been back from hunting. Minato is at his room, painting Kushina as what she appears after she healed him.

The modest smile, the kind eyes and the cute blush.

_Mermaids are incomparably beautiful. The two of them are very different…_

He looks at the finished painting and then to the dark-haired mermaid's painting…

_Those two mermaids… I wonder how long have they been there. I wonder how long they have been waiting for certain people…_

He looks around his room… and then walks to the drawer beside his bed…

_The world beyond the beach… I wonder what it seems like…_

Sirens are heard and the customers and students are attracted to meet at the center of the resort shores. Minato goes and sees the scientist walking around excitedly a big covered square thing.

He then speaks to get everyone's attention, "People of KWB… I am Uchiha Homura… a humble scientist that has come to this place in pursuit of my studies concerning mystical creatures."

The people stay quiet to listen. "As we all know, there are rumors about the existence of a mermaid in the waters of this beach." He then laughs out, "But those are rumors no more!"

"Behold! The mermaid of the Konoha West Beach!" The brown-haired scientist unveils a cage … the raven-haired mermaid has been held by chains.

Minato's eyes widen in surprise as everyone cheers at the capture of the other mermaid.

"Now, now… mermaid-san, look this way." The scientist chuckles but she shifts to further cover her face with her hair.

One man is holding a switch and flips it… only to electrocute the mermaid to make her scream.

The people get amazed and awed as they watch her squirm in pain… but her milky complexion never changing.

"Mo… mortals." She whispers and then gazes at Minato's direction, "You are the most despicable beings… the world has ever crafted."

"Huh? She talks… the mermaid talks!" The scientist laughs and the people seem to get enticed by her voice.

But Minato feels otherwise… her anger and resentment echo around as if getting engraved deep within his skin. He gulps and breathes heavily.

His eyes blink as he witness the torture of the dark-haired mermaid… as he gets planted at the ground for not moving that much.

He wants to help her… but why? For what reason he can even justify? The electrocution stops and the raven woman starts to glare at the scientist.

"I am very sorry, mermaid-san. But I will be taking you to a more beautiful ecosystem for mermaids." The scientist kneels near her and then she scoots nearer… as if pleading.

But Minato knows otherwise.

The scientist reaches for her face… her ever beautiful and smooth skin. But the mermaid suddenly gets aggressive enough to reveal her horrid teeth and chomp the scientist's hand off his wrist.

The man screams and the crowd goes on hysteria as the switch gets flipped on again. The mermaid screams while on her horrid form of big black stone eyes and circular well filled with teeth.

Her smooth hands have become scaly and clawed… and she tries to claw her way out the cage. She then gazes at Minato with a plea disguised as a glare.

Minato hesitates to reach his hand out and help her break away… only for the scientist to yell, "Stop it! You're killing her!"

The mermaid then grows her tail and charges at the cage… only to make a dent on it. She then throws out her weed whip towards Minato…

Only to get electrocuted again. She finally falls unconscious and the people start to calm down.

The switch gets flipped off and the scientist covers his bleeding wrist to check up on the mermaid who stays on her scary form.

He then yells, "At last! I have a real mermaid within my reach!" Minato twitches and then whispers, "No…"

As the scientist gazes back at the cage, another whip from the coast comes to take the cage with such strength. The cage gets dragged through the sand towards the water.

Seaweeds are also shooting from the waters to grab some people to drown and be eaten. The switch gets flipped on and the whip gets electrocuted as well.

And since the people are getting restless, Minato takes the chance to grab the cord which is under the sand.

He then grabs a stray rock and tries to rip the cord with it. Inuzuka then sees him and yells, "What are you doing? Let's get out of here!"

"I need to free her." Minato whispers as he continues on… getting grounded by the open live wire at times. Inuzuka looks around furiously and then grabs the other edge, "Pull! Namikaze!"

Minato nods and does what is said. The cord breaks and the cage along with the other half of the cord gets dragged away in so much speed but it's good Inuzuka has let go.

The two watch the shore revert back to its original blue color and the seaweeds have stopped claiming lives. Bodies float along the waters and there are some who are just struggling to get onshore.

The scientist blinks his eyes since he didn't have the chance to even move during the commotion… and then he screams, "How many mermaids are there?"

The operator of the switch then grabs Minato and his friend for the scientist's on the spot interrogation, "How many!"

Inuzuka then says, "I don't know! There must be tons of them by the shore a while ago! Believe me, it's my first time to even see one!"

Minato stays quiet… trying to glare at the man despite the maniacal gaze of the scientist. Homura then notices the look and asks, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"… You killed your son, didn't you?" Minato whispers and everyone seems to hear it. Homura frowns and smirks, "He was stopping me from taking the mermaid. And no one stops me from getting my fucking mermaid!"

He then draws a gun from his jacket and points it at Minato's chest, "And you are replacing him, aren't you? I thought you're cooperating with us to catch them…"

"…" Minato glares at him and then Homura removes the bandage along the blond's neck, "What happened to your wound? Did you make the mermaid heal this for you? Is this why you're making them escape!"

"I won't let someone like you take one of them." Minato whispers and then scientist grins and yells at the other people, particularly at the resort owners, "We're locking down this place! No one leaves and no one goes in! Understood?"

The resort owner nods hastily as the gun gets pointed at his forehead. The scientist then commands the big guys, "Tie that man and throw him at the ocean. Everyone, prepare the cages… I'm not losing my mermaid."

The big guys do what is told and then the classmates start to cry as Minato gets tied and then other guy runs away towards his other friends.

But the scientist shoots the guy in the head and yells, "You should have known more than to interfere."

"Inuzuka!" Minato yells and then he screams in anger, "You monster! You won't get away from this!"

"I don't care. I just want my mermaid." The scientist grins maniacally and Minato was taken near the shores…

…

**End of Part 2**

…

There will be one more part and to think that it has taken me this long to update. XD

Thank you for reading and please review.


	3. Part 3

**Disclaimer: **Rei: Phew. I finally decided to end this thing XD!

Minato: That's good, then. At least, you have finished yet another one.

Rei: Minato-sama! *heart eyes*

Kushina: Ehem. Naruto still belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Not to Rei Haruno.

**Warnings: **Rei: Still the same. No need to repeat.

Kushina: That's right. And it's finally ending!

Minato: Well, thank you for reading this far.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

The preparations have taken too long and it is already mid-afternoon when Minato gets forced to stand at the edge of the shore.

Thick rope is wrapped around his feet to prevent him from escaping and his hands are also tied behind him.

The blond is waiting for nothing since he knows that there is a big cage dangling above him to catch the mermaid.

The crowd has been waiting religiously for this thing… since they wanted to see yet another mermaid. Minato then gulps as he hears a man signal Homura that everything is set.

The scientist then smirks and says, "I don't know what happened with my boy. But I will certain do with you."

He shoots Minato from behind… the bullet rushing through his very heart. His eyes widen and his kneels weaken… making his body fall down the deep waters.

His classmates and teachers cry once again but then they don't want to follow his example for defying the group.

Minato's body starts to sink because of the thick rope… and his eyes are left wide open. However, it is miraculous that he remains to feel alive.

He watches Kushina swim towards him… and he tries to whisper, "Don't… go… near… me."

But something is amiss in her eyes… determination fills the orbs and her movements. She catches him and rips open his shirt… only to kiss his wound.

Just like what happened at his neck, the wound disappears and the Kushina blows to make a big bubble enough to case Minato's head.

The blond then feels the presence of air and talks with her, "They're going to capture you!"

"Don't worry, Minato. My friends will be helping me." Then he sees a big school of fishes going their way… and then Kushina bites her own finger.

She bleeds and a drop of her blood spreads along the water. The fishes then develop massive teeth and begin moving their teeth as if biting the water.

They chew off the ropes and then Kushina begin ripping his clothes apart… Minato blushing at the action, "What are you doing?"

"Making things more realistic. Take off your clothes… all of them!" She says and then Minato can't help but to do what is said.

He slips off his clothes and the fishes are starting to rip them apart. Kushina embraces the guy and leads him somewhere as the bubble pops.

The spectators by the shore then see the blood blotting the water and the piranha-like fishes surfacing for more meat.

The men then pull the rope… only to see that it has already been chewed to nothingness. The crowd cries in vain but then the scientist yells, "He got away!"

"Got away?" One of his men asks and then Homura hits him with the gun, "Idiot! The fishes don't have to eat his feet if it's concealed by the ropes!"

The other men set out a steel net and captures the fishes to take them off the water. The divers then set out in pursuit. Homura yells, "I know you'll be back, my mermaid! There's something you want from me!"

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

**Rei Haruno —Sakura no Imooto**

**Part 3**

…

Minato and Kushina are resting inside a low-lying cave which is nearby the shores of Konoha West Beach. She is finding a pair of garments that will fit Minato… among the pile of clothes they have collected from their food.

Minato knows that it is normal for Kushina to be eating people… but he doesn't know what makes him exceptional.

She gives him a pair of jeans and a loose blue shirt, "Here. They maybe smelly and dirty but…"

"Thank you." He takes them and then he looks at her and she manages to catch his unusual gaze, "Yes? What's wrong, Minato?"

"Why me, Kushina? I mean, I'm not different from those people." He reasons out and then Kushina embraces him, the peculiar warmth of a mermaid's flesh radiates to his chest.

"You are a human… just like them. But you never wanted anything but my image alone." Kushina pulls back a little and then she whispers, "You're not like those greedy souls."

"But Kushina." She shakes her head and stares at his eyes just like the first time they have met. Minato then moves closer but Kushina jerks away.

The blond twitches and then he shifts his eyes away. Kushina slowly dips in the water, "You can only kiss me when you're ready to come with me."

"Kushina." He whispers and then he remembers about something, "The other mermaid! Where is she? Is she still alive?"

"Yes. And she wants revenge… on everyone who made her suffer." Kushina shifts her eyes away and then Minato slips on the clothes and says, "Then we have to stop her! Innocent people is—"

"Minato! They tried to kill you, too! Do you really wanted to save them?" Kushina cries and then Minato smiles at her as he goes into the water as well, "Leaving them out there to die makes me no different than them."

Kushina twitches and then Minato smiles, "Makes me lose the only difference I have."

Kushina then joins him at the water and embraces him to take him back to the beach, "I've warned you. Be ready to be killed by those monsters again."

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Minato climbs the big rock like how Kushina told him to and luckily, he has reached the top. He huffs and sighs in relief and looks around the place.

The scientists have been focusing on the seaside and shores rather than the previous places they have been looking at. He frowns at the leftover gadgets nearby, fearing that they might be still working.

He then looks around and see no one around but the machineries… toppled machineries. The raven-haired maiden must have been there a while ago and so everyone might be hiding from her.

Or he might just be too late after all.

He walks around the place and notices blood painting the sand… and some other parts like fingers evident in the sand.

Minato covers his mouth with his hand and feels sorry with the people who have to suffer because of the scientist's goal.

He walks along some more and finds someone under a crumbled piece of big device. She is lying on her back with a big stone arching her spine.

Minato stares at her open eyes and the tear that fell tells him she's still alive. He runs to her and she whispers, "Na… Nami…"

"Yamaguchi. What happened here? Where's everyone?" He holds her hand and tries to find a way to remove the device above her.

He looks at her as she coughs out some more blood, adding some more to the blood covering her mouth and nose.

She then whispers, "Don't… take it off. It's the… only thing… that's holding… my body… together."

"No. I'm so sorry…" He apologizes and then she points to a place at the resort, "She… went there. She wants… the scientist."

"I knew it dammit." He can't help but to curse under his breath but her wince takes his attention, "Namikaze-kun…"

"Yamaguchi?" She smiles and says, "I'm happy… your face… is the last thing… I… see." Her hand falls and her eyes slowly close.

Minato feels down and positions her hand so it won't fall down again.

He then looks at the direction where Yamaguchi has pointed… and the notices some more stuck bodies (complete or not) among the piles.

_How can a single mermaid do something like this? I never thought they were this… dangerous._

Minato picks up a piece of broken pen one of his classmates must be carrying earlier. _My classmates are innocent. I should save them from Miko. I may still have some more time left._

He runs towards the resort… uncertain of the fate that will befall on him as he threads the path of martyrdom and idiocy.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Heavy footsteps echo around the hallways as they run away from the non-human hunter downstairs. Minato's classmates are lucky enough to have survived… along with the resort owner and his secretary.

They pant as they reach a supposed safe room… the girls already on the verge on crying while the guys pissing their pants.

They just have witnessed a massacre and the raven-haired mermaid was more than a near-extinction beautiful creature of the deep… more than a creature that kills people in just a crack of a whip.

Tou breathes heavily and then he wheezes, "Let's get out of the resort… maybe she won't follow us out there." A girl disagrees, "What if she does? We're endangering much more people!"

"At least, the military can handle her, Fuuka! They have the guns to kill something like that… that monster!" He retorts and then she whispers as she becomes out of breath, "But still…"

"Shhh…" The resort owner shushes them to silence as they hear a weird sound of cloths ripping, something clothed was getting dragged across the hallway's carpet. They also hear people screaming in utmost fear as the mermaid preys on them.

Soon, the door starts getting banged at… pleas of other people getting heard from the other side. However, they refuse to open it… they can't let them in.

They silently cry as the other people get devoured by the mermaid just outside the room… blood already seeping under the door.

The resort owner then gulps down his pleas for survival and bursts open the door only to jump at the mermaid, "Run!" The people run away but then his secretary helps him hold down the mermaid.

The raven-haired mermaid, who has been going around in horrid gray-scaled body, stone eyes and scary-looking face as if a Gorgon, tries to struggle… her whip throwing the secretary away and piercing her with it.

"Ahh!" She groans in pain and the resort owner gets budged off her back, "No! Kaori! Don't touch her, you monster!" He jumps at her again but she just grabs him with the whip and throws him to the woman.

They both hit the wall harder and fall into unconsciousness… the mermaid walks back downstairs to catch up with the people along with that blasted man.

Homura continues to run… he never expected the mermaid to just simply topple his machines over. He is now scared… his men losing their tails in fear.

"Namikaze!" Tou yells as Minato passes by the parallel hallway… and going back to get to them. The blond then checks up on them, "What's going on? Where is she?"

Homura glares at the guy who is miraculously getting helped by the mermaid**s **even though he's also a mere human like them… and humans tend to want the tears that he didn't seem to care about.

Minato gets to see him and then he glares back, "She wants to make you pay… for what happened to your son. She knew you were the one who killed him!" Homura spits at the side and holds out a gun at him, "Kill her! Kill that fucking mermaid!"

"I won't." Minato stands with his words and the tension starts to thicken up as things happen fast enough for them to lose the track of time… and fear.

A door suddenly gets off hinge and thrown towards the man with a gun… causing him to fire and hit Minato's waist.

The blond winces but concentrates more on the following event… the raven mermaid growling at the view of his face. Minato just holds on to his waist and talks to her, "Please… stop hurting innocent people."

"Innocent?" They hear her speak as if she is in her 'more beautiful' form, "You dare label them as innocent? Not watching what that wretched man did to me is the only thing that will render them innocent!"

"Please… I beg you…" Blood starts dripping from his mouth, "Why don't… you just take it out on… him… and me?"

The raven mermaid then eyes at him… oblivious of the man that is aiming the gun at her head. She then grabs his neck and tries to choke him, "It is beyond my knowledge why you are offering yourself. But it seems to be inconvenient for my heart…"

BANG! The bullet goes through her head and the mermaid duly falls down over Minato and he catches her as they crash to the ground.

The injured scientist then fires another shot at her head… nearly missing Minato's, "Die! You fucking monster! Die! If you don't want to be mine then die!"

Tou and Fuuka jump at the man for him to miss the next rounds and they try to steal the gun from him. Minato shakes the mermaid, "Miko, wake up! Miko! Wake up!" He then sees the finds the blood of the mermaid in his hands…

His hand feels different… like it's getting scaly and different. _What's going on?_ He stares at the blood on his hand… and that small scratch he got from climbing the big rock.

He then remembers what happened to the fishes when they get to breathe in Kushina's blood… as his hand starts to darken and develop similar features with a mermaid's hand. Minato curses under his breath, "Shit."

The old man gets away with a final fire at the mermaid and runs off to somewhere. The survivors then gather round Minato while the others stay in where they are, watching the transformation of Minato's hand.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Minato rubs the blood off his hand with his pants but his hand continues to develop. He then decides to carry the heavy, transformed mermaid bridal style and runs off to the beach. "Miko! Hang in there! I'm taking you to Kushina!"

As they reach the beach, the raven mermaid suddenly jumps off Minato's arms and uses her whip to drag him in with her… leaving the people speechless.

Minato struggles for breath and then the mermaid grabs his neck and continues on choking him, "I never thought you're just like them! I won't let you go near her again! You'll never get near her again!"

Minato starts to lose his breath and he won't be having more now that the mermaid is trying to kill him. He tries to struggle and then the mermaid let goes… only to bite at his neck.

Minato groans under water and tries to take her off… his blood faintly painting the once clear waters of the Konoha West Beach…

_Kushina once told me… you can hear out our thoughts… but as what it seems to me… not all of it. You were badly injured with that shot at your head… (Actually I was surprised you're still alive…)_

_I just wanted her to help you… use her tears to treat you if that is possible. And something happening to my hand… I just thought maybe she could do something about it, too…_

Minato gives out the last surge of air that his lungs are holding… his body lifelessly starting to sink down the water. The mermaid has let go of him and swims away to another place…

The blond finally closes his eyes and drifts deeper after watching the raven leave him as if a dead body… that he is soon to become.

He feels his clothes flutter with the small waves of the water… he feels them right then… but not for the next while…

_Kushina… I'm so sorry. It's quite a shame… I can't even see you for the last time._

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

_When your dreams waver and when your sight goes blur_

_Look straight at the seas of blue and I'll be there for you_

_I will console a poor soul and I will sing to you_

_Listen to my voice and let me take you, too_

_When your dreams waver and when your sight… goes blur…_

_Remember those days that you don't have a clue_

_Of everything that happens that seems to concern you_

_Try to get closer, scoot to my side_

_Let my lap be your pillow and my voice your guide_

_I will take you with me in my heaven and there you shall be free_

_So remember those days when all you need is me…_

_So rest and let the days be done, care not of what happens next_

_As long as you stay by me… you can be free…_

"Kushina?" Minato budges his eyes to open… finding no one by his side.

He did miss her song a lot and he even finds it a miracle that he's still alive after what the raven has done to him.

He rises from his lying position to see that he is at the big rock where everything started… and it reminds him why he was at KWB.

He suddenly craves for the pencil and canvasses that he used to hold and those wonderful paintings that he used to draw… the passion of his heart is currently out of his reach whilst the model of perfection lies before him…

He then remembers his hand… that seems to have reverted back to normal. Kushina must have showered him with her tears… healing every wound and restoring the damages his fragile human body has sustained.

His lashes flutter along with the breeze to take a blink… until he notices the ripples in the water. He leans nearer to see those red threads flowing with it, the consistency of the mane rides the water like silk.

"Kushina?" Minato whispers as the redhead emerges from the waters… flipping her tail for the last time before transforming them into legs.

She climbs up the big rock and lays the head of one of his classmates, named Tou to be honest, at his side. She then slicks her hair behind her.

"Is he…?" She looks at him with a glare and mad expression, "Yes, he's dead… and who knows? You might be next."

Minato looks at her and then she starts hissing at him, "You know what, Minato? I can't believe you gambled your life for those sick creatures!"

"Sorry…" Minato's voice trails off at Kushina's unusual behavior… her sudden madness about his supposed to be righteous actions.

"Stop worrying about those freaks! Please!" Kushina then clutches at his chest, "You're going to get yourself killed! I don't want you to die!"

"Kushina…" Minato bears a small smile on his lips and the redhead twitches as gratitude consumes the blond's face. "Thank you…"

"But if I do so… I don't think my conscience will be able to take it." The blond smiles again before getting up, "I need to help them. But why wouldn't Miko believe me that they're innocent?"

"Minato…" Kushina closes her eyes and glooms over, "I will be waiting for you at these waters. No matter what happens… you'll find me here."

With a tear dripping from her lonely, disappointed and sad eyes, the redhead mermaid takes off as if a bird in flight only to dive deeper into the waters of her realm.

"Sorry, Kushina." Minato whispers and looks at the direction of the resort house, "I will be back to be with you, I promise that."

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Above the scorching red flames lies a metal container which cannot conceal the screams of all the living within. Above the scorching flames, it dances side to side… lulling the people inside with the lullaby of death.

The scientist continues to laugh out at his amazing creation… a torture box that should have been used to mermaids that wouldn't cry at his will.

However, he has tricked the survivors to take its first ride… he just wanted to enjoy the sound of their agony and despair.

The raven mermaid is chained at a great post and the heavy sedatives' effects are yet to vanish… despite the presence of a loud stench of a dead body beside her.

Homura looks at her and aims his improvised chainsaw at her, "I wonder if she will start crying if I start chopping her limbs off. If so, I have to be ready."

He chuckles as he brings it down, "My precious tears… my oh-so precious tears!" He then laughs louder… only to have Minato confront him, "Dr. Homura!"

"Ah! If it isn't the mermaid boy!" Homura laughs out and then Minato looks around to see the container and the mermaid… and glare back at the scientist, "What are you doing to them…"

"Can't you see? This experiment is a failure! A failed experiment should be disposed and all traces should be **eradicated**!" He then points a gun and fires at the blond but he gets to dodge the first one.

He continues running around to find a place to hide as the scientist keeps on firing at him. "Surrender, mermaid boy! I have the mermaid and I have everyone else… and I'll also have you… DEAD!"

"I can't die here." Minato whispers and looks at the mermaid who is nothing near to waking up. He then looks up to see the container… his classmates are inside and he needs to do something.

He is about to think longer but a bullet misses his face, "Almost got you!" He then runs around again to go to another place to hide as the scientist shoots everywhere he could be.

_If only there is a way to bring that thing down…_ Minato looks around the place and sees a switch nearby the platform where Homura is standing a while ago. He sets his eyes on it and runs towards the nearest hiding area.

"What do you think you're doing, mermaid boy? Wanna bring them down?" He laughs out as he fires at the control panel of the torture box to destroy it and throw Minato away from its blast, "I know everything you can do!"

Minato lies pained, injured and out of cover because of the small explosion… rendering himself defenseless from the scientist's firing. The guy fires at his legs so he won't be able to run… and shoulders so he won't be able to punch.

"Boo-hoo, look at you, mermaid boy. You look like you're dying… and how many times do I have to always see you like that!" He kicks Minato's side violently, "Why don't you just die, you immortal brat!"

"I… will not… die… here…" Minato whispers between his groans and huffing in the intense pain… it has not been long since he last felt something like this. The feeling of facing Death all over again…

"Oh, I see. Right… you won't. Well if you have a mermaid by your side… but you're all alone. Why? Have they already abandoned you?" Homura does a mocking coo at him and all Minato give him back is a glare… "You… are the one going to die not me."

"How audacious of you, mermaid boy." The scientist points the gun at Minato's face, "But I regret to inform you that this is the end of you and your mermaid dreams."

"They will never end." A familiar voice speaks and then the scientist looks around as the whole place shakes vigorously… the metal container's chains slowly disconnecting from one another.

Homura looks at a direction and then he finds Kushina standing at a distance… her bare body adorned by a dress she has found somewhere. The scientist unconsciously lowers the gun and falls in love with the mermaid… like how he adored the raven.

"Personification of heaven… a complete paradise…" He whispers as he slowly approaches her, "My heart… I have been robbed by such a beautiful being…"

Minato slowly gets up and tries to warn Kushina of his sedative gun… but then a great catastrophe happens. The metal container then falls down above Homura… squashing _him and his mermaid dreams_.

"Minato!" Kushina then climbs up the scorching metal container and jumps down as if she hasn't been pricked by the intense heat enveloping the path she passed by, "I'm so glad I followed you!"

"I thought you are just going to wait for me…" Minato embraces her and she freely hugs him back much tighter than his weakened state can take, "I was so scared to live on without you. I was so scared of having you killed."

"Kushina…" Minato smiles yet again before a sudden roar terrified the rundown place to collapse. He looks at where the raven is, "We need to get out of here. Take Miko and run… I'll just—"

Kushina uses her whip to break the container which reveals the survivors who looks half-cook inside it, "Done!" Minato then just smiles at her and they go on their separate tasks…

"Na… Namikaze?" Fuuka whispers and then Minato nods at her, "Come on… we have to get out of here." The survivors manage to get out and Kushina takes Miko somewhere safe.

"Don't worry, Miko-chan. We'll be safe and we will go home sooner."

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

At last, the Konoha West Beach has finally come to a peaceful state. The scientist and his experiments and men are all captured and taken away… the flattened corpse almost impossible to be recovered.

The survivors are brought to the hospital and the tension the mermaid hunts left is already erased. Everyone just wants to have a good time at the resort.

It's also almost time for the students to be returning from their project trip and Minato is packing his things up. He finishes cleaning up and then he goes down for a moment… and the resort owner greets him.

"How are you doing, Namikaze-san?" He speaks as he organizes their check out forms and assembles the bills they have to pay for the stay. Minato has a smile adorning his lips as he looks around the reception.

"Wow, Fuuka. That painting is so dramatic." One of the girls speaks as they descend the stairs… Fuuka holding out a framed canvass, "Tou died protecting me. This is just a little tribute."

"Can I just go out to the beach for a moment?" Minato talks to the owner and he nods in agreement. The blond speeds his way in the beach area and then he finally goes to the big rock… where Kushina is waiting for him.

"Minato, you came!" She greets him and then he sits down, "I promised I will be back here." He looks far off the horizon where the sun will be setting sooner, "I would surely miss this place."

Kushina still has this sad smile on her face and then she strokes at Minato's hair, "This is where everything began anyway. Miko-chan is already waiting for me…"

"Yeah… I'm glad Miko isn't mad at me anymore." Minato scratches his cheeks and then Kushina laughs out, "To be honest, it's Mikoto. You're right… I'm happy about it, too."

"Kushina." Minato then looks at her who looks back at him, "I love you and I never wanted to leave your side."

Kushina smiles bigger and she scoots nearer. "I am willing to sacrifice everything just to be with you."

"I know you would say that…" Kushina starts crying again, "That's why I don't want to take you anymore. You deserve to live longer, Minato."

"No… I don't want to—" Kushina shakes her head to stop Minato from insisting, "I never wanted you to come with me. It's not a place of eternity…"

"I just wanted to be with you… I don't want to end up as a lover that just waits for you every time. I never want to stay here when you stay at the other side. Please, Kushina…"

"Minato… I'm so sorry… I can't!" She slips off his arms and jumps deep into the water… but Minato just does the same. He dives deep the water as if chasing the mermaid to where she would come home to.

He swims deeper and deeper into the abyss… insisting until his breath runs out and death's hand that is finally reaching out to him be able to gain a touch.

He is willing to leave everything behind… he is willing to die just for him to be where Kushina is…

It's not every day that he feels that way… it's not every day that he gets to be loved by someone like Kushina.

_Kushina… I'm so sorry… but I won't settle up for this!_

He tries to move on but his breath is giving out and his lungs are breaking in… his arms and legs won't move much and everything is getting too dark to continue. If he goes on… he'll die.

Or maybe he's heading the right way… fishes and other marine creatures are visible and yet they don't attack the stranger. But either way, right or wrong, he's going to drown and the surface is too far from the depths he's in.

Minato just continue on swimming deeper until he can't move anymore… his body refusing to do what he wishes at all. It is hopeless and he knows it very well… he's going to die…

Chasing a dream.

His impossible… yet plausible… mermaid dream.

"Minato." A familiar voice gives a spark within his dying soul and he looks around to see Kushina swimming around him. She embraces him and looks directly at his eyes, "Do you really love me that much?"

_You know I do… Kushina, you have become everything to me. I don't want to let the chance pass… I would never have anything like this again. All I ever wanted is to be with you…_

Minato embraces her back. _I have been seeing you and I love you from the very start. Kushina, take me with you. You always sing that song I love the most… and I know I can really be free when I'm with you._

"Minato…" Kushina starts crying again and then she bears a smile, "Minato, I love you, too…" She then nears her lips to his, "Come with me… and let's see the world beyond the seas."

They finally kiss and Kushina's red hair begins to wrap around Minato as she hugs him tighter. She then swims faster… towards the abyss where mermaids lay and throwing Minato into a mermaid's heavenly oblivion.

…

**Tears of a Mermaid**

…

It's already time to go, the resort owner and his secretary knock at his room, the bus now waiting for the students who missed the presence of their deceased friends Inuzuka and Tou, "Namikaze-san?"

The door swings open and a note with two paintings welcomes their sights. The resort owner picks up the note and he reads it aloud…

_Dear Nakamura-san…_

_I left the payment inside the envelope underneath the book tray. Can you please deliver my things to my home address?_

_Can you please tell my friends that I will miss them, too?_

_I'm already where I wanted to be and where I will be at my happiest._

_Thank you for everything._

_Namikaze Minato_

The secretary then looks at the two paintings that is found with the note, "Such a wonderful artist. I'm happy that he really knew where he would be happy… and he didn't let the opportunity pass."

"I agree." The resort owner lifts up Kushina's portrait which bears her name, "Kushina and Mikoto. The mermaids of Konoha West Beach…"

"Well, everything that happened will be forgotten along with the tragedy." The secretary speaks with a sigh and then the resort owner chuckles, "The tragedy that killed most of our customers will surely be forgotten…"

He collects the paintings and goes downstairs to hang them at the wall, "But their existence will not be…"

"Along with the love story that they wrote in our minds."

…

**End of Tears of a Mermaid**

…

Thank you for patronizing the fic! Thank you! Thank you!

It's really energizing to have even just one wonderful review. ^^


	4. Promotional

Promotional Chapter:

As a reply to Maj…

I don't know of a better way to giving you a response so I have to insert a pseudo-chapter.

Yep. Pinay po ako 100%. Saka meron po akong sinusulat na bagong MinaKushi… na medyo maraming side pairings.

I will also be polishing the premiere chapter of **Blood has a Horrible Taste.** A vampire fic for MinaKushi.

Summary**: **After that horrible incident that drove Minato at the edge of life, he just wished he didn't let that man have his way with him. Now, he has to deal with living in the world, being not a human that he once was… and keeping them away from his family that they yearn to turn.

Main pairing: MinaKushi

Main side pairing: SasuNaru

Contains: Ecchi, yaoi, violence and horror

Genre: Supernatural/Romance

I will be pleased and be thankful if you decide to check it out… maybe in another week. I don't know when it's going to be posted. Wari na.

Excerpt from Chapter 1: Unscathed

With a groan and weak call for his wife, Minato wakes up that morning. He still suffers with his stupid headache and his wife is resting beside him… looking so vulnerable and yummy. He doesn't really have this notion of touching his wife's for-the-husband-only parts everyday (despite her beautiful body that makes most male co-workers swoon) but they seem to be oh-so-well uncontrolled right then. His hormones are starting to work again and he is still lost about it as well. Finding nothing wrong about wanting his wife once in a while, his hand crawls from his side to hers… then slowly crawling to her breast to massage it a bit.

"H… Huh?" Kushina wakes up from the seductive contact and then practically screams when she saw her husband, "Minato! What happened to your face!" He stops doing his thing and stares at her horrified face as she cups his with her hands, "You look sick and pale? Can something really happen overnight?" Minato is about to talk when he feels something funny inside his mouth. He gets up as well as Kushina does and he tastes blood in his mouth. He then gets off the bed while holding his mouth and walks to the bathroom in just his boxers. He faces the sink and spits out what has fallen out of place.

Teeth. Two almost identical teeth fall out of mouth as he tries to find what was bleeding. He then checks the mirror to see which teeth fall off… eventually seeing that they were the canine teeth (fourth ones from the center) from the upper row. Weird slits are just above them and there is something that is hidden inside his gums. Kushina arrives and inspects what he is doing… as he pushes a finger inside his mouth. To his surprise, a tooth is showing from the weird slit when he pushes it down… and they don't look like they are of a human at all.

…

Thank you again. ^^

PS. Maj, Sure. I'll finish the fifth chapter of Atayomi Monogatari 1. ^^


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